Volunteers aid Josephine County sheriff’s deputies as ‘eyes and ears’
From our weekly issue dated July 01, 2009
Volunteers Jeannette Rogers (left) and Linda Tedder. (Photo by Illinois Valley News)
Boosting efforts of Josephine County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) in Illinois Valley, two trained volunteers are assigned to patrol in a black-and-white cruiser without overhead lights.
By doing so, Linda Tedder and her partner Jeannette Rogers free sworn, armed deputies for other duties.
The pair regularly checks vacant, foreclosed homes and has a steady presence at Lake Selmac, Cave Junction’s Jubilee Park and the River Valley Village Senior Park. Other groups of volunteers have been assigned to the Merlin and Murphy areas.
Tedder and Rogers also conduct vacation home checks and frequently drive by areas that have Neighborhood Watch programs.
A former Cave Junction resident, Tedder began her volunteer patrols in April. Rogers is a retired Southern California police officer, and the two say they’ve gotten a very positive reaction from the community.
“We find elderly people appreciate us,” Tedder said.
In fact, Tedder said that she and Rogers have been receiving tips about suspected drug activities and forwarding that information to deputies.
The pair has yet to encounter any highly strange or dangerous situations while on patrol. Tedder said that is likely because they only go out during the day.
“There are some crazy people at night,” she said.
Advertisement:
When conducting vacant home checks, the volunteers have a list of around 60 residences. They do a perimeter check to make sure the houses have no signs of forced entry.
Typically, one of the women walks around the property while the other stays in the car to monitor JCSO radio traffic.
Sheriff Gil Gilbertson said that JCSO now has more than 50 volunteers, which enables his organization to better serve county residents.
“They’re the eyes and ears out there for us,” Gilbertson said. “They do all kinds of tasks.”
Gilbertson said that he is working on ways to better utilize the volunteers, including training them to take reports. JCSO volunteers must be able to pass a criminal background check. For more information, phone 474-5123.
Advertisement:
